Adelaide Craver awarded state's highest civilian honor

Published: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at 05:49 PM.

Instead, she got involved in many organizations in the community through First National Bank.

“My other love has been to serve the community and to promote so many great causes,” she said. “I’ve always felt the bank makes the community and the community makes the bank.”

She said she has always believed that “the success of a bank would come from the success of staff members” and from their dedication to their jobs at the bank. She said they always tried very hard to be friendly.

Adelaide Craver. Say her name and almost anyone in Shelby will know who you're talking about. They might think of her work when she was president of the Uptown Shelby Association, or the Shelby Historic Preservation Foundation, or even the Junior Charity League of Shelby.

They might think of the time she chaired a fashion show in Blowing Rock to benefit the hospital there, or the time she chaired Cleveland County’s Heart Association Ball in 2004. They might tell you about her work with Destination Cleveland County, an organization that promotes economic development here. Or they might have been a member with her on one of the five boards she has served on.

On Tuesday, those many facets of public service and leadership over the years resulted in a formal recognition.

Craver was recognized with the highest award for a civilian in North Carolina, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. A ceremony held at First National Bank drew dozens of friends, family members and supporters.

"I'm just highly honored by all these people saying all these complimentary things that I don't deserve," she said, with characteristic humility. "I do love Shelby and Cleveland County."

A business leader

Not only is Craver recognized for her public service, she is also recognized for her career as a business leader and now chairwoman of First National Bank. From cashier to president to CEO, Craver has served Shelby through First National since 1981. Prior to that, she worked in Charlotte at First Union Trust.

“I came back (to Shelby) because it was mine and my husband’s hometown,” she said. “The bank was much smaller and it exposed you to all types of banking. The things that I would say meant the most to me were the people that I was involved with. Our staff was like a great big family.”

As a young female business leader, Craver said she never felt out of place at the bank. She graduated law school in 1967 with just one other woman in her class, with whom she is still close friends.

“I didn’t really think about being a woman,” she said. “I came here and the people I worked with welcomed me. I never wanted to be in business organizations that involved just women.”

A community servant

Instead, she got involved in many organizations in the community through First National Bank.

“My other love has been to serve the community and to promote so many great causes,” she said. “I’ve always felt the bank makes the community and the community makes the bank.”

She said she has always believed that “the success of a bank would come from the success of staff members” and from their dedication to their jobs at the bank. She said they always tried very hard to be friendly.

“The other thing I loved the most about banking was our customers. Knowing so many of them has been a pleasure. I will miss seeing them quite as often,” she said. “It was a pleasure to try to serve their concerns or problems.”

The enjoyment of and dedication to customer service has been a hallmark for Craver. It has created relationships with her customers that won’t be forgotten. During a recent interview with The Star, a friend stopped by and spoke to Craver. Amid hugs and smiles, he told her that he didn’t have cancer. Craver said it was truly a miracle.

A hometown friend

Craver said she plans to continue her involvement in the community after she retires.

“I love the bank and I love Shelby,” she said. “It’s always been such a friendly town with so many nice people. It’s small but not too small. I’ve always loved the beauty of the court square and walking my dogs there.”

Craver lives near uptown and said she loves the pretty neighborhoods.

“But most of all it goes back to people. The people in the community are what’s really important, to know so many people within the bank and without,” she said.

Comments from Adelaide:

- On the Junior Charity League: “I really admire the clothing room that gives the children that need assistance clothing to wear to school, for them to feel good about themselves attending school."

-On historic preservation: “It was a pleasure to redo the (preservation foundation) main office in 1999, bringing it back to its historic appearance. It’s also been fun to open new offices and work on those buildings and getting to know people in those communities.”

-On economic development: “The most vital thing we can to do help Cleveland County is to get jobs and that will improve the economy for all of us."

-On Destination Cleveland County and bringing in the Don Gibson Theatre and Earl Scruggs Center: "Fundraising has been tough, but we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished. Cleveland County is so very fortunate to have had two outstanding musicians grow up here as Don Gibson and Earl Scruggs."

-On Cleveland Community College: “It’s been great to see Cleveland County grow as it provides the education so much of our workforce needs."

Comments from community members:

"Adelaide has just done so much for this community. She has been extremely important with economic development efforts and she has supported Chamber programs ever since she’s been in the community. I just can’t say enough about Adelaide Craver, the support she puts in the community. She is always willing to help out and do whatever she can to advance projects. She’s always been recognized as a community leader."

-Michael Chrisawn, president of the Cleveland County Chamber

"She’s a very unique person and as a member of the business community. She really epitomizes what a good corporate citizen can be in any community. And fortunately for Shelby, she’s been here for many years. She’s the epitome of the person who loves her community and supports it.

She’s just one of those people, she didn’t have to be involved in the community, even though her official role as a banker and as a business person really kind of lent itself to that, she did so much more. And she did so with a love for the community and with enthusiasm and with a very altruistic attitude. I’ve never been around her when she hasn’t had a smile on her face and when she hasn’t inquired about how I was doing or how my family was doing. She always has an encouraging thing to say."

-Rick Howell, Shelby city manager

"I am probably one of Adelaide’s biggest fans in Cleveland County. She really is the epitome of a wonderful combination of southern grace and gentility, coupled with a very smart, very energetic and very strategic business mind. She’s very sharp. She is and has been a very great asset to our community. She always keeps a very balanced approach to solving issues. It’s always a pleasure to serve with Adelaide because you know that her agenda is really always what was best for the city and the county. She’s just a real joy to work with.

One of the hardest things I ever had to do was when I was director of the Uptown Shelby Association. I was going to have to tell her I was leaving for Virginia. When I came back two and a half years later, it was folks like Adelaide that really made the decision to come back to Shelby an easy one."

-Ted Alexander, former Shelby mayor

"In addition to her duties at the bank, she has contributed much of her time and energy to make this community a better place to live. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with her."

-Ed Hamilton

"There's no more deserving person than Adelaide. She's such an enthusiastic person. She's a blessing to this community and throughout North Carolina. She is a lady who always shows grace under pressure. Adelaide Austell Craver always makes me feel like I've died and gone to heaven. She makes me want to do right. Adelaide meanse everything to every one of us."

-Thad Woodard, president and CEO of the N.C. Banking Association

"I can’t express how overwhelmed with pride I am. Adelaide has really dedicated her life to her banking career as well as public service on an equal balance basis.

She’s spent an inordinate amount of time doing things for the bank and for the community. She’s been an absolutely wonderful partner in life and a superb mother to her two children and grandchildren. There couldn’t be a better one."

-Richard Craver, Adelaide's husband

Watch Adelaide's honor

Visit shelbystar.com to watch video from Tuesday's Long Leaf Pine program at First National Bank.

Reach Molly Phipps at 704-669-3339, at mphipps@shelbystar.com or on Twitter @MollyAPhipps.